New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-31

| THE INTERSTATE BILL AND ITS FAULTS
| 1t is stated that the President will certainly
sign the Interstate Commerce bill, notwith-
standing opinions adverse to its constitutional
1ty or prOprety formerly expressed by Secre-
tary Bayard and Attorney General Garland.
| 1t would have been more surprising to hear
that he had concluded to veto it. statesman
not accustomed to worry himself about his re-
election might have considered that the uncer-
tanty as to the meaning of the bill was su f.
ficient reason for sending it back to Congress,
because it would do great harm by causing
enormous litigation, whether so construed
finally as to do good or not But President Cleve
land would naturally consider the strong pOpu-
ar desire for some bill of the sort, rather than
the objections to this particular form of meas
ure. Then it is easy for him tOadOpt the opinion
that Congress would probably fail to amend the
BILL if vetoed. before the close of this session,
and it would either fail altogether or pass over
his veto with all Its imperfectiOns. while little
experience of its workings might lead to its
amendment at another session. A President
who thinks of reelection not unnaturally
shrinks from the sort Of criticism to which all
are exposed who strive to remedy the errors in
measure for which the public clamOrs.
An illustration of such unreasonable mis-
construction comes in letter on another SUBJ
ject from q subscriber, who warmly affirms
that he is not to be convinced that lower
charge for a long haul than for shorter haul
is ever justi6able. He proceeds to illustrate
that railroad on which he depends charges
him SOL per car for moving his product short
distance to market, while it brings the similar
product several hundred miles further to the
same market for So per car load. The dis
pleased correspondent imagines that The
TRIBUNE approves this sort of extOrtiOn be.
cause it reasons that charge In some degree
higher for local than for through traffic is usually
justified. The general principle that a man
has some right to consider what is the market
value of his service may surely be stated and
upheld without asserting that he has right
to rob anybody. like highwayman. by taking
all he can possibly get. That there are IN
stances of outrageous extOrtion by railroad
companies, which should be prevented or pun
ished by law, will not be denied by any reason
able man. But 1t does not follow that every
reasonable or safe.
The Interstate Commerce bill contains some
excellent features winch, if standing alone,
would 90 gOOd, III is Il defect winch attaches
to very many legislative experiments by the
Democratic party that they couple so much
benighted ignorance and crazy prejudice with
honest intents that the net result is mischief
This bill is intended to help Western farmers
especially. THE TRIBUNE believes that it will
do them more harm than good, not because
many of Its aims are not meritOrous, not be-
cause it lacks excellent features but because it
contains provisions which will increase the
cost of transportation for producers and con-
sumers alike will bury transporting companies
under mountains of litigation, interfere with
the building of new roads where they are
needed, and IN the end do much to bring into
disrepute and odium restrictive measures
undertaken with sincere purpose for the public
good.